I was asked tonight if there were still silk worms in New Zealand and I didn't know.
The lady asking remembers having silk-worms as a child and unravelling the silk to make bookmarks etc., To her this was nothing unusual, but as the years have gone by, she now realises that it was not so common a thing as first thought.
Can anyone tell us if there are still silk-worms in New Zealand?
We'll have to find out more, Jane. I've heard people saying there were silk worms in the Auckland Domain, but will now have to do some more detectiv work!
Jacqui
Thanks Jacqui I'd appreciate that. I haven't heard of it before, but this lady clearly remembers doing this as a child here in New Zealand. I'd love to know if there are any silkworms still here in NZ and if not, when they went and why?
Maybe some of your entamology contacts might know.
Thanks and cheers - J
I can find no references to silkworms in New Zealand apart from the one mentioned in "Which New Zealand Insect?" by Andrew Crowe. I posted a reply in the forum some time ago regarding the moth, but cannot find it, so a repeat is timely.
A female Samia cynthia moth ( common names - Tree of Heaven silk moth, Ailanthus silk moth) escaped through an open window at the Auckland University in 1982 during some research on them. The moth evidently laid its eggs on some nearby Tree of Heaven leaves (Ailanthus potentia) on which the caterpillars feed, and are now established in and around Albert Park. The cocoons can be seen in Albert Park in the tree tops during winter, which means the occasional resulting moth must appear also. The moth occurs naturally from North India to South China, and also lives in Europe and USA. It is a large moth, somewhat bigger than the Gum emperor moth.
Norm.
Thanks heaps Norm.
Is there still a population of them resident around Albert Park?
Jane.
I saw a lot of glowing coming from the banks under trees of a walkway along 'the pipeline' pathway - Woodlands Park/Titirangi but that was maybe 7 years ago.
Hi Judi,
Could those have been Glow-worms? I see many of those on banks and overhangs in bushy areas at night-time - very beautiful, and so often people have no idea they are there, even in built-up urban areas. It is only because I have taken kids into bush at night looking for night creatures on Forest and Bird educational trips that I have got to see them.
Do silk worms glow too? Do you know that one Norm? I know almost nothing about silk-worms:/
I think theyre different but the glow worms DO hang by silk threads! i saw the glowing in the daytime but was very shady under all the trees...magic :-)
No silkworms do not glow. Actually the word worm is a misnomer for the silkworm is the caterpillar of the Bombyx species of moth. When the caterpillar pupates it spins a silk cocoon and it is from this that the silk is extracted. The cocoon is boiled to kill the caterpillar and release gum and resins from the silk which is then unravelled, for if the cocoon is left until the moth hatches the endless silk is ruined by the moth chewing a hole to exit. Silkworms are now all domesticated and none exist in the wild.
We have a friend who still has silk-worms. She will probably be bringing them down to the Nelson Growables Garden Fair in 2011. We were hoping for this year but time ran out.
Hoping Monarch Trust can put a stall on for the Growables this year (Sunday 14th November). This is a show where the audience is aiming to buy plants, as well as be entertained. I am growing as many swan plants of as many species & varieties as I can. maybe the monarch cages would go well as well.
Gary Vergine
Positive Projects Trust - originators of Nelson Growables
Hi Gary,
I am assuming you are from the Nelson/Marlborough area.
The growables sounds fantastic! I wish I could be there. Hopefully someone from that area will be keen to help with a stall. There are a couple of Picton members too that I'm aware of and maybe they will do something too. Any ideas on others who may want to get involved Jacqui?
Great idea to grow some plants for it. Thats the first thing people want when they get keen :)
Good luck Gary and I'm really interested to know about the silk worms - good to know someone still has them here in NZ. Thanks heaps for answering.
Gary and others will be pleased to hear that the MBNZTrust will have a stall at Nelson Growables for the first time this year on Nov 14th. I organised the stand at the Ecofest last month. My idea for Growables was to concentrate on info about nectar plants to keep butterflies (& other insects) happy, plus selling milkweed seeds/plants. If anyone can help out with plants, or has ideas about other things to put on the stand, please contact me - Chrissie Ward, 03 5469818, cj.ward@xtra.co.nz
Do Tree of Heaven Silk moths still lives in Albert Park, Auckland today ???
I longed to keep caterpillars of Tree of Heaven silk moths as I never kept them before.
Clinton.
In 1983 Samia cynthia was not considered to be a risk so it it wasn't eradicated as were three other species.
It's primary host is the Chinese tree of heaven (Ailathus altissima). Secondary are privet and lilac. Both Tree of Heaven and Privet are listed by MAF as Unwanted Organisms.
There were Tree of Heaven in the Bowen Ave area in 1983, but I doubt that they would still be there 28 years later. I won't let that stop me from having a look next time I'm in the area.
http://www.ento.org.nz/nzentomologist/free_issues/Weta08_1_1985/Weta8(1)_2.pdf
Hi Chrisalis,
Thaks for posting that link. Very interesting
Regards - Jane
When I was a child in the UK, about 9 or 10 years old, a teacher brought some silkworm caterpillars to school and we kept them in captivity, feeding them on mulberry leaves. It was a school which had been converted from an old house with beautiful grounds and gardens which had lots of mature trees, including a large old mulberry which we used to enjoy when the dark crimson fruits ripened and dropped in a carpet underneath the hanging boughs. I remember knowing that the idea was to eventually have silk to use, but I think the summer holidays came at a crucial point and I never found out what happened to the cocoons. Just as well - I don't think I'd have been too happy at boiling them up!
It would be lovely to see them on a tree again, but maybe they are different ones here in NZ, as they were definitely feeding on mulberry leaves in the UK. I must google Ailathus altissima as I'm not familiar with it, though maybe will recognise a photo of it.
Elizabeth
Yes - have just googled and do recognise the Tree of Heaven.
E.
Hi Chrisalis,
I longed to keep caterpillars of Ailanthus silkmoths as I had never been to Albert Park yet.
I found privet trees in bush behind Thames, they could feed the caterpillars of Ailanthus silkmoth.
I had never kept caterpillars of this moth above yet.
Cheers
Clinton.
There is an Ailanthus altissima in Duart St Mt Albert
it has just been nominated as tree of special interest to be kept. I must go and have a look at it.
Heather
Heather,
Slow down, you need foodplants first before you collect these cocoons. Better to breed these moths and rear the caterpillars.
You can collect the 2-4 cocoons, but please leave most cocoons for me and other members of MBNZT.
Be careful to ensure you don't end up have all male moths or female moths when they hatch from cocoons.
Biggest cocoons belonged to female moths.
I won't be collecting 4 of them until July or August, for breeding and to rear the caterpillars.
Now these caterpillars are still just eating heavily, on leave of tree.
Cheers
Clinton.
I have no intention of collecting anything.
I have more info now, but I feel it is in the best interest of the bugs for me to only share it with my GPS from now on.
My apologies to the bugs f
Double post
I'm surprised that the silkworm (Bombyx mori) is not allowed in New Zealand. It is totally domesticated and cannot exist in the wild and is such a good educational species. Silk has been produced for thousands of years, but not exclusively from the silkworm. Silkmoths of the family Saturnidae, which includes the gum emperor moth, the atlas moth, the hercules moth, the moon moths and the tussore silk moth etc, have also been used. Ailanthus silk from the tree of heaven (ailanthus or cynthia) moth was tried in the USA, and Europe. When this failed the moths were released and there were small unproblematic populations in New York, Paris and Italy. They may be dwindling? Anecdotal evidence suggests the New York populations are. I have bred many species of silkmoth, but that was when I lived in Scotland, buying from supplies such as Worldwide Butterflies Ltd (www.wwb.co.uk).
I have found someone who does breed silkworms in NZ.
Want to follow up later in the year. Will update progress here.
Ye-ha Jacqui...that sounds great!
I had not been collected cocoons of Tree of Heaven Silk moth in Auckland last winter as I were in Far North.
Are they in Christchurch Jacqui?
Srangely enough we had a visitor today who (as a boy) had hundreds of silk moths on their property - they had plenty of mulberry trees. He would have been in his 70's now, lived in Christchurch but it would have been semi-rural then I guess.
No the man I heard of lives in Northland. Will get onto it when I get back to Ak.
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